NYC NOW - April 30, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: April 30, 2024

Attorney General Letitia James is awaiting a response from Meta after its AI chatbot generated false information about New York State elected officials. Meanwhile, a notorious Manhattan landlord may soon be moved from Rikers Island to house arrest, in one of his own buildings. Additionally, a new bird-watching group in Brooklyn is causing a stir. Plus, the musical ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is nominated for 13 Tony Awards. Finally, WNYC’s Karen Yi reports on a dormant bill in the state legislature that, if passed, would classify attacks against un-housed people as hate crimes.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. I'm Jene Pierre. Attorney General Letitia James is waiting for a response from META after its AI chatbot generated false information about New York State elected officials. The publication City and State New York first reported on the chatbot inventing stories of sexual harassment allegations that were never made and investigations that never took. took place. James said her office found similar results with the chatbot, including citations to fake articles. In her letter, James asked Mehta to explain any actions they have taken to address meta AI's quote, hallucination, plus any fact-checking steps the company has taken. She gave Mehta a May 10th deadline. Meta spokesperson Aaron Logan said in a statement, the company apologizes for

the issue and is actively working to address it. A notorious Manhattan landlord could soon move off Rikers Island and into one of his own apartment buildings. WMYC's David Brand reports on a unique legal request from the city's housing agency. Landlord Daniel Obe Shalom has been held at Rikers Island since late March. A judge sentenced him to 60 days in jail for blowing off hundreds of court-ordered repairs at two Washington Heights apartment buildings. Now lawyers from the city's housing agency are asking the judge to either extend his sentence or order him to stay in one of the buildings. He'd be living side by side with tenants who deal with ceiling collapses, heat outages, and vermin infestations. Obe Shalom's attorneys declined to comment on the case.

They're asking a judge to release him from jail because they say Rikers is too dangerous. A new bird watching group in Brooklyn is, well, ruffling some feathers. It's called McGorick Bird Club, and it promises to, quote, teach neighbors and artists and weirdos how to bird. Fans like Brittany Rodotcha say they come for the community as, much as the birds. When you're doing it with other people, that's really powerful. And it's a really cool way to connect, especially when nature is such a tough thing to come by in the city.

The founder, Michael Lombardo, is as likely to rail against modern marketing as he is to help people spot a northern mockingbird. You can learn more about the McGulrick Bird Club at our news website got the mist.com. Nominations for the Tony Awards are now out. The award show is in an Alicia Keys state of mind. The musical Hell's Kitchen got 13 nominations, including Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, and Best Actress in a Musical. It's loosely based on Alicia Keys' life. The singer-songwriter grew up in Hell's Kitchen, while her mother worked nights to support them.

The Tonys are Sunday, June 16th, at Lincoln Center's David Koch Theater. Up next, a bill pushing state lawmakers to make homeless individuals a protected class is getting re-energized. More on that story after the break. But YEC. This week marks one year since an unhoused New Yorker, Jordan Neely, was choked to death by a fellow subway writer, Daniel Penny. Neely, who was 30 years old, was a well-known Michael Jackson impersonator. WNYC's Karen Yee reports the aftermath of the incident is reinvigorating a dormant bill in the state legislature that would make attacks against unhoused people. a hate crime. I just picked this up. I just found it on the shelf.

Elements of wit. Philip Malbranche spends most of his days at the Queens Public Library. He reads nonfiction and works on his writing projects. I have been homeless for most of the past 25 years. I spent a lot of time studying my situation and writing about it. Mallbranche wears thick, rimmed glasses and speaks with the cadence of a professor. He says even when he slept on the streets or in shelter, he always had books. And one day when he was reading a book in French on a Brooklyn Park bench,

he says he was attacked by a group of teen boys. He struck me in the same place in the back of my neck repeatedly. I expected to pass out because I had begun already to see stars. His shoes were off and he says he looked unkempt, which he thinks made him a target. The punching stopped when a passerby intervened. I don't remember if I kept the book. But the shoes, when I pulled away, I put them back on. I didn't take the time to lace them. And I walked away with the lace is flailing. That's a salient memory.

The lace is flailing. Mall Branch now has a housing voucher and lives in a single room. But he says he understands how important it is to make sure there are consequences for violence against homeless people. He's pushing state lawmakers to make homeless individuals a protected class, just like other racial, ethnic, or religious groups. Known as the Homeless Protection Act, the measure would make it a hate crime to attack a homeless person. It confers a measure of dignity,

but recognizes their plight. And it sort of intimates that it's not their fault. State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal introduced the measure in 2013, but it's languished every year since. Proponents of the bill hope there's renewed urgency, following Jordan Neely's killing a year ago. The Marine Corps veteran charged with his death will go to trial later this year.

Neely, who was black, was a 30-year-old Michael Jackson impersonator who had performed on the subway for years. Last May, he started yelling on the train, complaining of hunger, saying he was tired and ready to die. That scared passengers, prompting fellow writer Daniel Penny to intervene.

He put Neely in a chokehold and killed him. The incident was captured on. video going viral and spurring protests. Justice for Jordan Neely. Nicole McVinue is the policy director for the housing non-profit urban pathways. She says Neely's death shows why the bill is needed. It wouldn't just add tougher penalties for crimes motivated by bias against homeless people, but also change how New Yorkers perceive them.

If Jordan had a different identity and was doing the same thing, would the same, would the same action have played out? If Jordan Neely was wearing a suit, if Jordan Neely was a white person, if he didn't appear homeless, would somebody have said, wow, this person really needs help. The bill would also require

a tax against homeless people to be included in the state's annual hate crime report. Advocates say that would better capture how often homeless people are victims. Most attacks aren't reported to police or in the media. When you see people talking to them, that's a form of stress. Richard Jarrett spent a decade on the streets and says he understands homeless people can

make others uncomfortable like he might have when he hung around Grand Central Station most nights. When you don't get breaks in life, like somebody give you a break, you're going to rebel. So these people, they don't get breaks in their life. They always are the wrong end of the stick. you're going to be fearful when you see these people. Studies show homeless people are more often the victims of crime than the perpetrators of it. And Jared says most homeless people, even those who are having a bad day, just need a little help. That's WMYC reporter, Kering Ye.

Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday, three times. today. I'm Jenae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.